Is Venezuela Really Rejoicing? Nick Shirley Mocked for Passing Off Miami Vid as Locals After Nicolás Maduro Capture

After President Donald Trump announced that Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured, social media lit up almost instantly. Videos started ricocheting across feeds—crowds cheering, people chanting, and scenes that looked, at least at first glance, like street celebrations.

But one widely shared clip quickly became a flashpoint. Independent journalist Nick Shirley drew heavy criticism after saying the video showed Venezuelans celebrating inside the country—an assertion others disputed, sparking a fresh round of backlash and fact-checking online.

Miami Crowd Sparks Misleading Claim

Nick Shirley, a self-identified independent journalist, posted a TikTok livestream clip on X after Trump's Truth Social announcement on 3 January. He described it as 'World Cup-style celebrations' erupting across Venezuela following Maduro's arrest.

His tweet read: 'Wait a minute, the MSM media lied to us again? The people of Venezuela actually didn't like being ruled by a narco-terrorist? World Cup-style celebrations are ERUPTING all across Venezuela atm. Congratulations to the people of Venezuela! Que Dios te bendiga! 🙏🏼'.

The video captured a recent gathering, but not in Venezuela. In reality, that massive crowd wasn't celebrating in Venezuela. The footage was actually filmed in Doral, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and featured mostly Venezuelan exiles rather than local residents.

It wasn't long before the platform's fact-checking system kicked in, slapping a Community Note on the tweet that set the record straight on the video's true location.

Backlash from Prominent Voices

Everyone from seasoned reporters to casual scrollers jumped in to dismantle the false narrative almost immediately. Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan tweeted, 'This is Miami, not Venezuela, but don't expect to ever get facts or truth from the Somali daycare influencer guy. (He has had hours to take this down, and the fact that he hasn't tells you everything about his reliability on everything else he shows you.)'.

Liberty Lockdown podcast host Clint Russell mocked the post as regime propaganda. User @Jackovtrades14 called Shirley a 'total tool', while @westmm4028 likened it to his past 'fake Minnesota claims'. The original tweet racked up over 3.1 million impressions in 17 hours despite the flak.

Shirley's Prior Viral Spotlight

Shirley first gained traction in late 2025 with a 42-minute YouTube video alleging a daycare scam in Minnesota. That clip went viral on X, drawing federal scrutiny into claimed fraud at Somali-run centres. Days later came the Venezuela post, amplifying doubts about his sourcing.

Sceptics drew parallels between the two incidents. One user quipped, 'This is as authentic as your fake Minnesota claims!' Shirley's track record now fuels questions on his fact-checking.

Follow-Up Tweet Draws More Fire

Shirley responded with a correction tweet below his original: '* Venezuelans across the world, this video appears to be from Miami. Regardless, the Venezuelan people are feeling liberated; good for them! 🙌🏼'. He has not deleted the first post.

Reactions stayed harsh. Brian Krassenstein replied, 'This tweet is almost as haphazard as your video of daycares.' Another mocked: 'Even though I made it up, it's still true. I'm a journalist.'